I'll Find You
by Time Thief
Summary: [Ferriswheelshipping] White's been captured by a cruel, cloaked man and a cold, calculating scientist. They search her memories desperately for a legendary Pokémon, but all she can see is a green-haired hero, who left her long ago... [Five parts, short]
1. Part One: Be My Hero

The electric glow of Nimbasa City scattered neon colors against the clouds. The moon tucked away and all starlight faded. Fireflies gathered in the amusement park's dark corners. White walked among them, their green light ghastly against her light clothes.

She tugged on the lip of her cap. It was a weekday evening, so few people roamed the grounds. Still, he had promised…

A sigh escaped her as she collapsed onto a bench. Her stomach coiled into knots at the thought of _him_. As she waited longer, they wound tighter, tighter, tighter-

"You showed after all." There he was, hands clasped lightly behind his back, gray eyes scanning her.

She straightened, heart threatening to explode. She swallowed and prepared to spill the speech she'd gone through a thousand times in her mind.

He said, "How about a ride on the ferris wheel?"

Her thoughts fled. "I, um…"

"Excellent." He turned, long ponytail trailing him. The sparkle of the fireflies highlighted the natural green of his hair. White was mesmerized. N twisted, and the blue shine of the roller coaster lighting up his eyes. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

White released a breath and curled her fingers into fists. She set her hands on her hips and flashed a smile. "Right behind you!"

Fake it 'til you make it, right?

N led her into the car. "Beautiful machine, isn't it? You look at it and think, 'this shape is impossible!' Only careful calculations made by choice people keep it working. Those calculations keep people from dying every day. Did you know that, White?"

"No." The knots in her stomach multiplied.

N smiled. "Can I tell you a story?"

"Sure." She slid into the worn red seat as the car rose higher, higher. The lonely desert stretched over the land to meet the lights of Castelia dancing on the horizon. As they rose above the glow, N's eyes darkened.

"There were once two brothers who reigned over this land with a grand gray dragon. The two brothers gradually grew farther and farther apart, one pursuing his own ideals while the other sought the truth. The dragon, straining to help them both, was split in half; a black dragon followed the idealistic while a white dragon followed the truth-seeker.

"The dragon splitting created a power vacuum. The two brothers, both believing themselves to be right because their dragon followed them, warred against each other for rule of the kingdom. In the destruction, both brothers died and what little civilization existed was razed.

"So, White, who do you think was right?"

Her eyebrows raised. "Huh? Neither, obviously?"

"What do you mean 'neither?'" His cap cast a shadow over his face. "Truth, ideals, you have to believe in one."

She tilted her head. "Each individual has their own ideals and what they consider to be the truth. There's no right or wrong. One man's truth is another woman's lie, and one woman's ideal world is another man's hell on earth."

"A curious perspective," he muttered, frowning. "I feel this strange connection between us, White. It's nothing I can explain, but I feel the need to tell you the truth. You're a kind person, and your Pokémon profess only love for you. Yet the facts of my life remain the same. I believe that people and Pokémon should be separated permanently, each in their own worlds.

"This ideal of mine… is something that I will give anything for. Pokémon are my friends. That means they deserve what's best for them - even if it means I never see one again."

White's breath caught in her throat, and the world outside the car faded. "Wh-what? You're trying to get rid of Pokémon? W-why?"

N's smile was small as he stepped close to her. "Because good people like you are so rare."

He grasped White's hand between his. "I want you… to be my Hero. I want you to fight for your Truth. I want you…"

He leaned closer, and the warmth of his breath kissed her skin. "…to prove me wrong."

"N?" She whispered, and a tear traced down her cheek. "Why am I crying?"

The scene disappeared, leaving White standing in empty blackness. "Where- what-"

"Take her out," said a harsh voice.

Pink mist flooded the blackness followed by cold, pure arctic cold. White collapsed on the frozen cave floor. Memories filled her mind as her one tear multiplied. The man standing over her adjusted his lab coat and returned his Musharna to its Poké Ball. He sighed, saying, "Nothing again. Her dreams are full of fluff. We'll never find it this way."

A black-cloaked man stepped forward. "Keep searching."

The scientist adjusted his glasses. "Torture might work better at this rate."

White gasped and clutched at herself. "What are you doing to me? Where am I?"

"You see?" sighed the scientist. "The more we do this, the more her mind goes."

White clutched at her temples. "My mind? I…"

A _BOOM_ brought White back to reality. The cloaked man had slammed his cane against the ice, cracking it. "I don't have time for this! Send her back in, Colress!"

"As you wish." He tossed out Musharna.

White screamed and ran but the pink mist followed. She slipped on the ice and fell face-first; the dream world consumed her.


	2. Part Two: A Hero and Her King

In the polished black floor, White's reflection stared back at her. Her eyes were red by past tears. A pair of golden doors towered before her.

The castle's throne room. He would be there, waiting for her. With what she knew now she wasn't sure she could face him. N, the king. N, the broken.

White cradled a Stone in her palms. Its pearl color reflected a gentle shine, and it had a warmth that seeped into White's skin when she touched it. Reshiram. Reshiram, answer, Reshiram, save him.

The Stone did not respond.

So this was it. No matter how much N believed in her, she would never be a hero. She was just… some kid. White breathed in and raised her head. She had her Pokémon and she had N, and she loved them both.

For that she would do anything, legendary Pokémon be damned.

White shoved through the doors and stood tall, watching the far end of the room. There N sat, smug smile on his face. He rested his head on his fist. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this day."

Long strides carried him off the dais. The floor here matched the shining gold of the doors. Everything smelled like disinfectant, a scent that reminded White of death. She felt sick in every sense of the word.

N grasped the cube hanging from his waist as he spoke. "I don't know why Reshiram hasn't chosen you yet. You should be the hero - yet, I have no other choice than to battle you here and now."

"N, please, you don't understand!" White dashed at him and took his hand between hers. "Ghetsis is using you. You've been manipulated and abused. People and Pokémon aren't meant to be treated the way you know. People like me - there are more of us than you think. Please, you have to believe me!"

He let her go, his face pained. N turned his back on White. He whispered, "I want to believe you."

A giant black Pokémon crashed through the back wall, shattering the throne. Zekrom, dragon of ideals, alighted beside its master. White stumbled at Zekrom's wind buffer, wide-eyed. N shouted, "Behold, the power of a hero!"

Heat like a bonfire spread from White's chest. Her skin felt like it was melting and she screamed. White light exploded from the Stone in her palms, and a tornado of fire birthed a dragon. Reshiram spread its wings and roared. Ashes and sparks stained the air as the two dragons faced each other. White sucked in deep breaths as the burning eased to a kind warmth. She touched Reshiram's fur, and her anxiety waned.

N tugged his hat lower over his eyes. "This is it, White. Are you ready?"

Reshiram's warmth sparked into a fire of determination. "I'll be your hero, N."

The dragons clashed at their owners' commands. Blue lightning and orange blazes arced through the air, exploding into showers of sparks and flames. Thunder and fire roared in unison. The back-and-forth dance ended in a spiral clash, both dragons limping. Both hitched, and Zekrom fell. Reshiram shouted triumph.

White felt victorious and defeated until she saw N's face. He smiled with his eyes closed, relief pouring over him. In the scarred throne room he was a beautiful sight. She ran to him and, finally, he met her eyes.

He tried to speak but she jumped ahead of him. "I believe in you, too."

His smile widened and he took her hand. "What you said on the ferris wheel… it struck me. Everyone believes something different, and we make the best world by working together, right? Can you imagine? Two heroes, side by side, together as people and together with Pokémon. A world like that… that's a world worth fighting for."

A tear stained her cheek, and she laughed for the first time in weeks.

Reshiram screamed, a terrible, fearful sound that pierced the atmosphere. The dragon of truth fell beside Zekrom, and a Hydreigon loomed over them both. Ghetsis hobbled from the smoke left by their battle. "You idiot! Warped, defective fool! You are of no use anymore. All this work we put forth to create the hero, and you lose to a normal trainer! I never should have placed my faith in you. All this work down the drain - now I will have to do this myself. First, I'll make sure you two 'heroes' don't screw this up again. Hydreigon."

The dark dragon spewed Flamethrower and the consuming fire raced towards White. Her panic overtook her urge to flee, so she froze, a Deerling in headlights. The flames flew closer, closer, the light blinding, the heat licking her skin-

N tackled her and they tumbled to the ground. The horrifying realization that his clothes were on fire snapped White back into focus. She threw out Alomomola and Haxorus. Alomomola used Soak to heal N's burn while she command her Haxorus into battle. Hydreigon fought from a distance, but Haxorus's speed allowed it to dodge attacks and close the gap. It slammed into Hydreigon with an Outrage, KOing the dark dragon in one hit. While Ghetsis cursed her name, White healed N with the move Heal Pulse.

Alder and Iris came to her aid just as N opened his eyes. They cornered the leader of Team Plasma, but White didn't leave the side of her hero king. She held him in her arms. He reached a shaky hand towards hers, and she could almost feel his pain.

"I have to tell you something, White."

Her tears drip dropped on his overshirt. Most of it had burned away. "What is it?"

"You're a hero. And not just mine. You're going to make this world a better place, I can feel it." He squeezed her hand tighter. "But your new world… there's not a place for me in it."

"What are you talking about? You're a hero, too! Wait, stop. You have to slow down if you want to heal."

He forced himself to stand regardless. "He was right, White. I'm a - I'm a monster. I'm not sure where I belong, but it isn't here."

White grimaced and held onto N's arm. "Ghetsis is the real monster here. We have to make our better world together, remember?"

He shrugged her off. "I'm sorry, White."

"N, don't-" Zekrom had risen without her noticing. N held onto the dragon of ideals, and they left through the broken wall. White screamed his name but he was no more than a dot in the distance. She wanted to chase him but Reshiram was in no shape, and she had no other flying Pokémon.

Alder and Iris muttered over her but she could hear nothing over her own sobs.

The blackness engulfed her and she found herself on the frozen cave's floor. The scientist rubbed his chin and the black-cloaked man scowled. She recognized him now as Ghetsis, the evil manipulator.

"We're getting closer. Send her in one more time."

"No!" She stood and reached for her Poké Balls, but they weren't there. She rushed the scientist instead, ready to claw at his face. Ghetsis twitched, and something dragged White into the air. A familiar Hydreigon bit into her shirt collar. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Ghetsis' eyepiece glowed red when he met White's eyes. "Will you tell us where Reshiram is?"

"You took all my Pokémon! You have it!"

The scientist sighed. "You see? The dream altering has affected her memories. We'll never get the truth from her."

Ghetsis growled. "Some hero of truth you are. Don't you want to save Unova?"

"It doesn't need saving anymore. Unless you're talking about getting rid of you once and for all!"

Colress laughed. "The Unova that you know is long gone. We're not trying to steal from you, little girl. We're trying to save the region from its certain demise."

"Don't bother," spat Ghetsis. "I'm sure she'll remember soon enough. Go on, Colress."

Hydreigon released her and the pink mist swallowed her.


	3. Part Three:The Ends of the Earth for You

The bright blue ticket in White's hands read "Royal Unova" in glittering gold letters." She sat hunched over it, and her mother rested her hands on White's shoulders. "I can't explain how proud I am of you, honey! My little hero, Champion of the Region! But, you must be so stressed after what those awful people put you through. That's why my gift to you is… a vacation!"

"Vacation." White's fingers trembled.

The past two months she'd flown across Unova and back again countless times. White scoured every hidden grove and forest. She even fought off the trio of sacred beasts when she disturbed their resting place.

He wasn't there.

She searched the skies for the black dragon. Reshiram soared above the clouds but found empty blue. White battled the wind and torrents of the legendary genie Tornadus to reach parts unknown.

He wasn't there.

Flying and flying and flying, hours and days and weeks. He wasn't there or there or why did he leave? Why? "Why did he leave me?"

She was crying again and she hated herself for it. Her mother held her. It felt so, so nice to be together with someone, to not be in it alone.

Reshiram was her partner, but she even betrayed her dragon. She ran it so hard, day and night, that it was forced back into its Stone form. When she woke up, rain pouring on her because her shelter had vanished, White hated herself most of all for what she had done. The Stone was in her pack now. Its weight crippled her.

"I know it was hard, honey. You're so strong and so brave. This vacation will be perfect for you. Castelia isn't so far. I can call a cab."

White didn't want to be alone but she needed to be. Her things were already packed and the ride was a short one indeed. They dropped her off at the docks, misty by the early morning. A cheerful woman led her onboard and to her cabin.

Was the woman's happiness real? No, White didn't think so.

White shed her things and walked on the main deck. The sunrise painted orange behind the skyscrapers. The water reflected it darker; White looked for her own reflection but could not find it. She leaned on the railing as the cruise took off. Pillars of light shone from the bridge ahead, shattering the lingering mist. It rose for the Royal Unova. The ship drifted further into empty waters.

An explosion resounded from the shore. White snapped to attention and looked to the black buildings of Castelia, but the horizon was pure blue. Though the buildings had disappeared, the lights remained, flashing as they moved. "W-wait! They're not gone, they're… ice?"

An alert sounded. "Emergency procedures prevent us from returning to shore. Please remain calm as we receive updates. I repeat, emergency procedures…"

Something flew from Castelia. White was excited for a moment but that faded once the airship was visible. Her sadness decayed to anger when she saw the Team Plasma logo etched on the flying machine. It stalled over the ship, and an unfamiliar voice boomed: "Hero of Truth! We have frozen the region you call home. If you wish to see this undone, relinquish the dragon you hold. Do it now!"

White closed her eyes. "Never."

She pulled her Stone out and tossed it off deck as hard as she could. Sunlight glinted off its pearl surface before it plopped into the dark waves. The voice still demanded, "Release the Pokémon now! Once it is retrieved, we will return Unova to its normal state…"

Plasma members garbed in black landed on the deck. They surrounded her, and she didn't fight. As they took her up, the airship rumbled. A cannon shot a bright blue beam, leaving the ship and sea frozen solid.

White gasped and the chilled air froze her lungs but still she screamed. A Plasma member yelled at her but she couldn't stop. It was her fault, her fault, her fault. He grabbed her and choked her until she passed out.

Scattering pale pink indicated she was back in the present. Ghetsis grabbed her by her jacket and screamed, "You _idiot_! How could you throw the legendary Pokémon away like that? Foolish girl, now there's no way to save Unova!"

"You're full of crap," she spat. "I know you're the ones who froze Unova. I'd rather it stay frozen than give into whatever plan you've got. Reshiram will never-"

He hit her. White landed hard against the cave floor and wiped blood from her mouth. "You've given us one last option. The Pokémon is recognized as released if its trainer passes. Hydreigon, prepare yourself. We're going to make this _slow_."

Hydreigon's wicked grin displayed its fangs, blue dragon fire creeping along them. It pounced and White squealed.

A bolt of blue slammed Hydreigon down. A great dragon's roar made the icicles shiver, and Zekrom alighted before White.

He was there.


	4. Part Four: An Unwavering Heart

His green was stark against the blue and his cap was pulled low. He kept his distance but her heart soared anyway.

"The heartless monster is here." Ghetsis smiled, his red eyepiece gleaming. "Trying to be human again. You should have stuck to the shadows."

"You've gone too far." His voice was steady, strong. "Unova didn't deserve this. This region gave you everything-"

"Don't give me that. I gave _you_ everything, and you still managed to screw it up, didn't you? Think about it, N. If you had successfully become King and never let this pathetic excuse for a trainer win, none of this would have happened. This is your fault."

He tensed and White's heart shattered. "If I have no human heart, how could I be a king? It's no matter! My resolve is to prevent Pokémon's suffering, just as I was raised. Kyurem cried out to me!"

Ghetsis grinned. "Tch. You doomed it from the start. Ironically we've come full circle, monster. You'll fulfill my ultimate wish. Kyurem, attack."

White gaped. "Did he say… Kyurem?"

Yellow eyes gleamed in the corner of the cave. Blue lit between them and an Ice Beam shot through Zekrom. N cried out with his Pokémon. "We can't fall here. Fusion Bolt!"

Blue sparks crawled along the atmosphere as Zekrom's bulb charged. Its cry shattered ice as a ball of blue energy slammed into Kyurem, which shuddered from the volts. Ghetsis slammed his cane into the earth. "Enough! DNA splicers, activate!"

Kyurem shed its ice, revealing two cannons on its wingfolds. It shot purple light at Zekrom, which cocooned it and shrunk until Zekrom was left in its Stone form. N dove to catch it before it hit the ground. "Zekrom? What have they done to you? Are you okay..?"

"Now I command you, Kyurem! Absorb Zekrom!" Kyurem readied its cannons again. White yanked N back and the Stone flew from his grasp. It was captured by Kyurem's blast and shrank out of existence in the purple light.

White light exploded from Kyurem. It was left in the form of an abomination, a meld halfway between Zekrom and Kyurem. Black Kyurem roared and stretched its wings, one now stained ebony.

N fell to his knees. "Zekrom, no…"

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he looked into her eyes. She said, "You're still my hero, N. Zekrom is still with you."

"You're right. I still hear its voice - faintly, but I hear Zekrom calling out to me." He stood and faced the abomination. "Zekrom, I know you're still in there, and Kyurem too. There's no need to be in any pain anymore. Go free now. Don't let us control you."

"Idiot," Ghetsis spat. "The Pokémon is still under my control. It only obeys me!"

Black Zekrom stepped towards N. It leaned down and nuzzled him, and N giggled despite everything.

"Bonds mean nothing compared to complete control! Black Kyurem, I order you to attack him!" Half of Kyurem resisted but the other summoned icicles, aiming at N. They surrounded him, threatening to skewer him.

"No, no, it won't end this way," White muttered. "Not for the hero. It can't. It won't."

The fire found her again. It spread from her chest and exploded outwards, melting the icicles around N and those hanging from the ceiling. The water sizzled into mist as it fell, and from that mist the dragon of truth was born. Reshiram soared in a headwind of flames.

"That can't be, that _can't_ ," Ghetsis shouted. "The Stone was gone!"

"Heroes are so much more than Stones," White said. She turned to N and dropped her Master Ball in his palm. "You're a hero, too, and that Pokémon belongs to you."

He didn't even glance at the device. He awed at the fire in her eyes and her sheer belief, and he smiled a giddy sort of smile. White's heart sparked. "Okay, Reshiram! Use Blue Flare!"

Bright blue neon, like the lights of Nimbasa so long ago, shot from Reshiram's maw. It engulfed Black Kyurem and left it disoriented. N ran to it and winced at its burns. He said, "I'm so sorry you had to go through with all of this. If you want, you can go with me now. I'll take care of you."

The dragon of ideals and its former husk bowed to their King. They reached to his hand and touched the Master Ball with their snout. As the red light absorbed them, Ghetsis bellowed. "It was my Pokémon! I was its trainer! You can't steal a Pokémon, Hero or not!"

N lowered his head and grasped his cap. "I guess it decided it wasn't yours anymore."

Black Kyurem released itself from N's grasp. It towered over Ghetsis and lifted its black arm over him. N yelled, "Stop!"

The Pokémon groaned and even Ghetsis seemed surprised. "I hear you. I know what you feel, but you have to understand. I was raised in an environment of sheer discord, and I lost belief that good people existed in this world. Once I walked the streets of the real world, though, I…"

He stole a glance at White. "I learned that there is harmony everywhere, enough to outshine the discord. If I can learn and change, I believe that he can, too. I want to believe. If no one had believed in me, then… this world would be so empty compared to what we have with each other."

Black Kyurem closed its eyes and submitted. It returned to its Ball. Ghetsis said, "Hmph. Fool you once, shame on me. Fool you twice - are you right in the head? What gives you any idea that I won't try something like this again?"

N smiled at Ghetsis. "Belief, father."

"How dare you call me that, you monster, heartless, inhuman- _thing!_ You're nothing, you never will be anything, you're a waste and-"

"I'm a hero." He grasped White's hand.

"And a king," she whispered.

"You hate to admit the children are right, do you, Ghetsis?" The scientist Colress emerged from the shadows. "You use Pokémon and people as tools time and time again, and what does it get you? Defeat, anger, sadness. Yet these two showed that their bonds with Pokémon and each other overcame anything we threw at them. I never thought I would say it, but by connecting and understanding others we reach our true potential. Your form of strength is nothing more than manipulation, but positive bonds? They're the true future. Truth and ideals side by side - I believe in them to fix the world more than my faith could convince me that you are worth any of my time."

Colress ignored Ghetsis' open-hanging mouth and walked away. He said, "Follow me, children. We must work to restore Unova."


	5. Part Five: I Found You

White, N, and their dragons perched atop Dragonspiral Tower. The chill was biting so he held her close, and Reshiram hovered near. The entirety of Unova was visible from the Tower. The landscape below was an infinity of blue and white.

Colress promised a solution to the ice and suggested they use manual labor in the meantime. White and N agreed to take a rest first.

She nuzzled into him and whispered, "Thank you for saving me."

N tensed. "Stop. You didn't need saving. With what you and Reshiram can do, I'm surprised you didn't end it sooner."

"I had no idea I could do that," she laughed. "They captured me and tried to force out where Reshiram was."

"Why wouldn't Reshiram be with you?"

She blushed. How to lie out of this one? The dragon of truth lay its head next to them and purred. N let her go and leapt to his feet. "What? No, please, please say that isn't true. White!"

She rose slowly. "What's wrong?"

"Your dragon..." He closed his eyes and his voice quivered. "You dragon told me everything you did to try to find me. And, it says- it says that it had to abandon you because it couldn't stand sharing your pain anymore. Reshiram told me it was too much to bear."

If the dragon shared her pain, she wished it had retreated sooner. The scarlet on her cheeks spread. "You weren't supposed to know that."

"White, I'm so sorry. I thought that I'd help by leaving. I almost ruined the harmony of this world and I- I don't understand anything, I'm just the-" His voice cracked and tears fell. "The freak without a human heart."

"You're not-"

"Listen. I hurt you, and that's not okay. The way you look at me, though, it gives me this feeling. When I left I thought it was having Zekrom by my side but it's _you_ , White. When you look at me I feel like I can do anything, I can be anything. I can be a real person, I can be more than a screw up, I can be a hero and a king.

"I was- I was so dumb to leave because I left behind the one person that believed in me."

She wrapped her arms around him, her own tears staining his shirt. "It makes me so happy to be your hero."

He held her tight and for a moment it all went away, the dreams and the ice and the broken. When the crying stopped and their breathing matched in a slow rhythm, N laughed. He said, "It's funny. In the end, I found you."

White grinned and backed away to look into his eyes. N closed the distance and leaned in closer,

closer,

closer...


End file.
